Day 2: State Holidays

Since we live in downtown Sac, the majority of the surrounding buildings are State Offices, meaning that our neighborhood tends to be rather quiet after 5pm during the week and pretty much all weekend.  In the morning, however, there's a significant amount of commuter traffic by car, foot, bus, etc.  The only exception is when there's a State holiday observed, which is indicated by a remarkable lack of traffic and an unusually tranquil morning.

I had forgotten about today's holiday, Cesar Chavez Day, until I headed off to the gym this morning and was met with quiet, empty streets.  At CPCA, we observe most of the State holidays, but not this one, which in some ways is rather surprising given that we support community health centers, which started as a grass-roots movement to address social injustice and provide affordable, quality health care to everyone, regardless of insurance or immigration status.  The City of Sacramento even has a public park right across from City Hall named after Cesar Chavez.

So let's take a moment to honor this man's efforts on behalf of migrants, workers, and his community:

"César Chávez Day is observed in the United States on March 31 each year. It celebrates the birthday of César Estrada Chávez and it serves as a tribute to his commitment to social justice and respect for human dignity.

César Chávez was born on March 31 in 1927. He was a migrant farm worker from the age of 10. He became active with the Community Service Organization, which helped fight racial and economic discrimination against Chicano residents.

Dr Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in the early 1960s. He focused attention on the plight of migrant farm workers and gained support to have his organization be the first successful farm workers’ union in the United States. He used principles of non-violence, with strikes and boycotts. 

Dr Chávez remained president of United Farm Workers of America (AFL-CIO) until his death on April 23, 1993."